Half to hans hansen hjul



('No ModeM J. CHRISTBNSEN. MEGHANISM POR GONTROLLING SHIPS RUDDERS.

N0.495,62s. PatentedApr.18.,1893.

miv-5 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JORGEN CHRISTENSEN, OE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO HANS HANSEN HJUL, OF SAME PLACE.`

MECHANISIVI FOR CONTROLLING SHIPS RUDDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,623, dated April 18, 1893.

Application led June 20,1892. Serial No. 437,358. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, J ORGEN CHRIsTENsEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the cityand county ot' San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Controlling Ships7 Rudders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved de- Io vice for holding and controlling a ships rudder to relieve the rudder and its steering gear from shocks and strains in heavy seas, and the same consistsin the described construction and combination of parts producing an I5 attachment for use on rudders of vessels as an auxiliary to and entirely independent of the steering gear as hereinafter fully eX- plained.

My improved device or mechanism consists zo mainly of a hydraulic cylinder havinga piston connected by a piston-rod directly to an arm projecting from the rudder-post and containing within the spaces in front of and behind the piston a body of liquid such as Water or oil. The cylinder is set horizontally and in longitudinal position, or fore-andaft-j7 in front of the rudder-postythe piston is fitted to Work through the head next to the rudder-post, and the cylinder is attached at 3o the opposite end or head to a bed-block or plate on the deck byI a pivot. The space Within the cylinder is connected at the ends around the piston by a passage in which is interposed a valve to regulate the size of the 3 5 passage and also to close it, and this passage is not open at any other point to permit either the entrance or exit of any iiuid Whatever. For large ships I arrange a pair of these cylinders in front of the rudder-post on opposite 4o sides of a longitudinal center line and connect the piston rods to two arms projecting from opposite sides of the rudder-post, as y shown in Fig. 1. But for a small vessel or Where the shocks and strains to be resisted are not excessive I use a single cylinder and connections.

The following description explains the manner in which I proceed to construct and apply my said invention to a ships rudder, the accompanying drawings that form part of this specification being referred to by letters.

Figure l is a top view of the cylinders and connections by which they are applied to the rudder-post, the full lines representing the position of the parts when the rudder is set in line with the keel and the dotted line indieating their position when the rudder is set hard to port. Fig.2 is a side elevation showing the left-hand cylinder. Fig. 3 is a topvieW in section showing the ports and the 6o passage connecting them together at the ends of the cylinder around the piston.

A is a hydraulic cylinder, B a piston properly fitted with packing to prevent the passage oE liquid from one side into the other side of the cylinder, and B the piston-rod working through a suitable stufingbox in the head of the cylinder.

D is a heavy ring or collar fixed on the rudder-post W and D2 is an arm projecting 7o from the side of this collar and forged or made integral with it. The end of the piston-rod is attached to the end of this arm by an eye and a bolt or pin, as shown,to form a loose joint. 75

A' A are ports in the side of the cylinder at or near the ends and A2 is a connecting pipe or passage cored along the side of the cylinder from one port to the other and closed at all points except where it opens at its ends 8o into these ports. A3 is a valve in this passage to open and close the passage between one port and the other and at about the center ofv the length of said passage.

A5 is alug on the end of the cylinder with 85 a hole to 'take a short-post or upright pin A6 secured to the deck, and on this pin as a pivot the cylinder is free to swing in an arc.

V is abcd-plate or block bolted to the deck in front of the rudder-post to carry the pins 9o AG and furnish necessary support under the cylinder to keep the piston-rod in line.

V is a segment track or way standing above the bed-plate under-the outer end of the cylinder on which the bottom of the cylinder rests.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. l the two cylinders are mounted on one bed-plate and the piston-rods are connected to the rudderpost on opposite sides of the center. As thus 10o constructed the device is putin working condition by lling the cylinders with liquid through an opening provided for that purpose in the top of each cylinder and then tightly closing and sealing the opening. Liquid can be also introduced from time to time through the sameopening to replace the loss byleakage.

A greater or less degree of resistance to the movements of the rudder is produced by turning thc valve A3 in the proper direction either to reduce or to increase the area of the liquidpassage: or the rudder can be locked and held atany point by shutting the Valve. Even at this time it Will be understood that one-half of the length of the passage atleast must be illed with the liquid and this will offer acertain amount or volume of said liquid as a cushion or buffer so that, when the rudder is struck by heavy Waves, it will not be broken as would be the case if it were locked rigidly in place. Of course if the piston stands at about the center of the length of the cylinder, there will be an additional volume of liquid within each half of the cylinder to serve as a further cushion; but if the rudder is locked at a great angle (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) the greater part of the strain would be on the'front side thereof and this would be resisted by the larger cushion afforded by the liquid throughout almost the entire length 0f the rod; of a bed secured to the deck, a hyv draulic cylinder having a passage cored in its side and communicating only through ports With the opposite ends of the cylinder, oneof said ends being closed and having a lug pivoted to the bed so that the piston shall stand at about the center of the length of the cylinderwhen the rudder is in alignment With the keel and the otherend of the cylinder having an opening for the passage of the piston rod, and a valve at the center of said cored passage for regulating its size or closing it entirely, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the :foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

J ORGEN CHRISTENSEN. 

